<p>I'm thinking about going to grad school for Islamic Studies. I'm a senior in college and taking a year or two off before continuing but I just want to get a general idea of what the best Islamic Studies programs are. I'm been reading but so far have found very little on Islamic Studies programs. Also, from what I've read so far, it seems that Islamic Studies programs are under different departments. For example, one college might have Islamic Studies as a concentration in their Middle East Studies Program, another in the Religious Studies Program, and another might just have a program that is separate from other programs? What the difference and how do I do which is best for me?</p>
<p>Wonderful question, ScoobyGurl. Islamic studies programs at the graduate level exist within many different disciplinary parameters, and are also sometimes freestanding. This is because of the interdisciplinary nature of Islamic studies (history, religion, medieval studies, art history, Arabic language, etc.), and because of the idiosyncratic ways by which such programs were established at various universities.</p>
<p>There is no schema that is better than another. (Middle Eastern studies is not somehow "better" than Religious Studies, for example.) But here's a guide to choosing programs.</p>
<p>First and foremost, you should select graduate programs by faculty. Which Islamicists are doing the most exciting work in your estimation, and which are employing interpretive methodologies that are closest to your own methodological preferences? </p>
<p>Here are questions to ask yourself: Do you have a Religious Studies background, and do you use history of religions methodologies? Is your background in history, and are you passionate about historiography? Do you prefer a focus on modern geopolitical aspects of Islam, and are your hermeneutical preferences grounded in economics or political science? You get the drift. </p>
<p>The programs to which you choose to apply (and faculty specializations within these programs) should dovetail with these personal scholarly preferences. And if you do not have a strong background in Arabic (as well as either in French or German, and also in any other languages relevant to your specific area of interest - Spanish for medieval Islam, for example), then you should definitely look into Masters programs in which you can develop your linguistic proficiency. (There are several excellent Masters level programs that are feeder programs to top PhD programs.) Islamic studies is a "hot" field these days, and PhD admission is extremely competitive, so <em>heavy</em> linguistic preparation is a must.</p>
<p>If there are any other questions you have on this topic, please feel free to send me a private message, or follow up with another post. (I direct a grad program in which Islamic studies is one component, so I think I could be helpful here.)</p>
<p>Thank you so much for your reply. I have a Religious Studies background. I'm taking Arabic 201 this coming fall. However, I know that I will not be proficient in Arabic by the time I graduate in the spring so I would have to do a Master's program first.</p>
<p>ScoobyGurl,</p>
<p>I also am looking at that Area for undergraduate studies, but have also have limited knowledge of graduate programs in that area.</p>
<p>Georgetown, big shot school for internships and all things 'international', so i'm assuming they have a good program
<a href="http://ccas.georgetown.edu/academics-graduate-apply.cfm%5B/url%5D">http://ccas.georgetown.edu/academics-graduate-apply.cfm</a></p>
<p>here is a joint MA PhD program in Islamic Studies, in case you're interested.
<a href="http://www3.georgetown.edu/departments/arabic/academics/joint/%5B/url%5D">http://www3.georgetown.edu/departments/arabic/academics/joint/</a></p>
<p>UCLA
<a href="http://www.international.ucla.edu/idps/islamicstudies/%5B/url%5D">http://www.international.ucla.edu/idps/islamicstudies/</a></p>
<p>Columbia
<a href="http://www.columbia.edu/cu/gsas/departments/islamic-studies/bulletin.html%5B/url%5D">http://www.columbia.edu/cu/gsas/departments/islamic-studies/bulletin.html</a></p>
<p>NYU
<a href="http://www.nyu.edu/gsas/dept/mideast/grad.html%5B/url%5D">http://www.nyu.edu/gsas/dept/mideast/grad.html</a></p>
<p>just throwing some big names out there, seeing as i don't know all that much about this area i think Prof X can help you better but i'm always glad to help considering that i share great interest in this area as well, but only for undergraduate.
cheers</p>
<p>Highly suggest an immersion language-training program in an Arabic-speaking nation before you go...</p>
<p>you should know that middle east studies/ Islamic studies is a politicaly charged field. different departments around the country have very different ideas and you will get a very different education at princeton vs columbia. at georgetown for example the middle east studies experts in the poly sci dep and the islamic specialists in the history department have very different views. the poly sci department invites a visting israeli prof every year but there are some profs in the hist dept that refuse to speak with israeli's even on a personal level.</p>
<p>if you want to do some research read the debate about edward said's book orientalism. if you take said's side look into places like columbia of gt's hist or arab studies dept. if you side with his critics look into places like princeton.</p>
<p>Thanks for all the input. I do have one more question. I'm currently married and I do want to have children in a few years. However, I was reading that PhD programs in the humanities can take up to nine years. Considering that I take a year or two off from school then take two years for my Masters, I won't be done until I'm about 37. Does it really take nine years to do a PhD in Islamic Studies? Also, how can I support myself in the meantime?</p>
<p>It should take anywhere from 5 to 9 years to finish a PhD in the humanities. Most people finish in about 6. </p>
<p>2 years of coursework
1 year of prepping for and passing language exams and qualifying exams
1-3 years of dissertation proposal submission, proposal approval, subsequent research and writing, dissertation defense, followed by revisions (which are common, but not inevitable).
Keep in mind that during this time, students are also attending conferences, submitting proposals to conferences, giving papers at conferences, submitting articles to journals, revising these articles if accepted for publication, etc.</p>
<p>The length of time it takes mostly depends on your research. Students who must travel extensively for fieldwork or to consult archives can take a long time to complete and defend the dissertation. Students who get a teaching job prior to finishing and defending the dissertation usually take even longer, because a new job eats up time that would otherwise be devoted to research.</p>
<p>And again, all doctoral level studies should be completely financed by assistantships or fellowships. In the humanities, masters level studies should too.</p>
<p>It should take anywhere from 5 to 9 years to finish a PhD in the humanities. Most people finish in about 6. </p>
<p>2 years of coursework
1 year of prepping for and passing language exams and qualifying exams
1-3 years of dissertation proposal submission, proposal approval, subsequent research and writing, dissertation defense, followed by revisions (which are common, but not inevitable).
Keep in mind that during this time, students are also attending conferences, submitting proposals to conferences, giving papers at conferences, submitting articles to journals, revising these articles if accepted for publication, etc.</p>
<p>The length of time it takes mostly depends on your research. Students who must travel extensively for fieldwork or to consult archives can take a long time to complete and defend the dissertation. Students who get a teaching job prior to finishing and defending the dissertation usually take even longer, because a new job eats up time that would otherwise be devoted to research.</p>
<p>And again, all doctoral level studies should be completely financed by assistantships or fellowships. In the humanities, masters level studies should too.</p>
<p>You may want to check out this exciting program.
<a href="http://www.aku.edu/ismc/index.htm%5B/url%5D">http://www.aku.edu/ismc/index.htm</a> and the Masters Program at: <a href="http://www.aku.edu/ismc/ma.shtml%5B/url%5D">http://www.aku.edu/ismc/ma.shtml</a></p>
<p>it's in Karachi ... just saying</p>